Shots of Change
by 2obsesed2think
Summary: Clare and Eli's experience prior to, during, and after a school shooting. How will they handle the aftermath? Who will make it out alive?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! I'm Andy, and this is my second fan fic (if you don't count my one-shots) and I hope you like this one. **

From the moment she stood up that morning, she knew it was going to be a hard day for her. She had a chemistry test, and an English essay due, then after school she had to go to find a job, which she knew wouldn't end well. It felt like one of those days where she should just stay in bed, and try to convince her parents that she was sick. But she knew she would have been no use, so she forced herself out of bed, and down the stairs.

In the kitchen, her father was sipping coffee, and looking at a few files from work. She walked over to the basket of baked goods they always had, and pulled out a cream cheese pastry.

"Good morning, Clare," her father said, sounding exhausted.

"Morning, Dad," she said back. She could tell her father had been up all night, so she didn't want to bother him too much by starting a conversation. This didn't bother her because, frankly, she didn't want a conversation either.

"There is lunch money on the counter for you," her father said, "Sorry, I didn't have time to make you lunch."

"It's fine, thanks," she said quietly. She didn't want to go to school. It was just going to be one of those days, where every little thing would bother her, everything from someone coughing during her test, to some people talking about heels in the hallway.

Clare looked at the clock and saw that she had to leave. She hurried out of the kitchen, grabbing her purse from bottom of her stairs. She then left for school, without saying a single word to her father.

When she got to school, she realized that she wanted to be there less than she thought she would. There were people that she didn't like were running around everywhere, and the few people that she wanted to talk to, were nowhere to be seen. She again thought about how bad of a day this was going to be.

Eli's morning started a bit differently. He woke up early, giving himself time to relax. He was in no rush to get to school. His father wasn't home, because was doing the morning shift at the station. His mom was asleep because she had to cover for someone else at the station the night before. So now, Eli was alone for breakfast, which he was okay with. He just ate in silence.

The longer Eli stayed up, the more the feeling something wasn't quite right grew. He felt as if something bad was going to happen today. He tried to convince himself that he was just being paranoid, but he couldn't shake the feeling. By time he stepped out of his house, the small twinge that he felt turned into a knot in his stomach.

When he got to school, he still felt this way, and the feeling didn't seem like it would wither any time soon. It seemed that it would just stayed there, in the pit of his stomach. He wondered, if his feeling were right, what would happen.

As he walked through the halls, he searched for Adam, but his friend was nowhere to be seen, so Eli went to his locker. He put in his combination, and opened up the locker. It was still messy because he never had time to clean it, even though he wanted to. He was pulling out his Math book out when Adam came up to him.

"Hey, Eli," Adam said.

"Hey, Adam," he replied.

"Ms. Oh is having a test today. I'm so fucked," Adam said. Eli tried to convince himself that the bad feeling would be Adam failing his test, but he knew that wasn't it.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Eli reassured him.

"Dude, are you okay?" Adam asked his friend. He noticed something was off about him today; it seemed like Eli's little world that he was always in had been attacked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Eli tried to convince him.

"You sure?" Adam questioned. He knew that it was best to try and get things out of Eli.

"I just have a feeling something bad's going to happen today," Eli said, trying not to make it sound very bad.

"I'm sure everything is going to be fine," Adam told him, Eli hoped that Adam was right. The bell rang through the halls. Eli and Adam said "bye" each other, and went to their first classes.

**I know it's not very good, but they will get better, this was just an opener. Will you review anyways to make me feel better?**


	2. Chapter 2

It was halfway through third period, and Clare was almost done with her Chemistry test, which she knew she was failing. She had studied for at least seven hours for this test, and yet, she still knew nothing on it. How could she possibly be doing this awful on this test? It almost seemed like it was in Japanese it was so difficult. The worst part was that she never did this poorly on tests. And when she did, it was usually because she was stressed over something else. She knew that when her parents saw this grade, they would be nagging her for at least a week trying to find out what's wrong.

Clare finished the test with about 15 minutes left of class, so she decided to go to the bathroom. She stood up, and walked over to the teacher's desk. After handing him the test, she asked to use the bathroom. Her teacher nodded, and handed her the bathroom pass. She left the room; not knowing it could be the biggest mistake of her life.

When she reached the restroom, there was only one other person in the bathroom. In a way she wished there were more people in there so that she had an excuse to stay out of class longer. She decided to just take her time in the bathroom before going back to class. The teacher wouldn't notice, or care.

Eli was in study for third period, which he didn't go to, it was pointless, and his study hall teacher never took attendance, so it didn't matter if he went or not. Instead of going to study hall, he decided to just wander the halls.

There was about 15 minutes left in the period. At that point, his bad feeling from the morning had turned into what almost seemed like a fear. He didn't know why it was so bad, but he did know that it worried him. Was it Cece or Bullfrog? Was it Adam? Could something happen to_ him_? He just wanted to stop worrying about it, but he couldn't. The worry was like a shadow, no matter what he did, he couldn't get rid of it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so I made a mistake last time posting this with chapter. I changed the beginning in a separate document, and I forgot to add it on to the original document. So this is a repost, with the better beginning. **

**Anyways, I've been getting a really good response to this story, and I really like the way that this chapter turned out, so I hope you enjoy it. **

Eli was walking through the Math wing on the far end of the school. He realized that his locker was not far, so he decided to go to it. He had been meaning to clean it, but never had the time to. He figured with the time he had left of third period, he could finally do it. He was not far from his locker, when a sound made him freeze. It was loud, and he had heard it before, several times, but he never-_never_- thought he would hear it in school. It took him a few moments to register that he had actually heard the sound correctly. But there was no sense in denying it. The sound was a gunshot. His breath hitched, and he wanted to run, but he couldn't, he was frozen in his place. He tried convincing himself that he was imagining the gunshot, or that something was dropped, or maybe even the janitors were trying to fix something, but Eli knew that it wasn't possible, especially after he heard another shot, quickly followed by a third.

Eli tried to move again, but he couldn't, so he did what he always did when he panicked: he observed and analyzed his surroundings. He saw some people running out of the classrooms, while others stayed put. Teachers told them to get back in the classroom, saying that they were going to lock the doors, but the students refused to go back into the room. They just made a run for the exit of the school, but the electronic security system had gotten there first, locking all the exits in the school. Soon security guards would be guarding the doors, and they only people they would be able to let through the doors were paramedics and police officers, but only once the police chief allowed them too. If they allowed anyone in or out, they could be setting the gunmen free, or they could be putting someone in severe danger by bringing them into the school.

Eli knew that the teachers wouldn't be allowed to let anyone back into the rooms. They could have been the gunmen, or they could have been part of the plot. Therefore, if you were in the halls, you were stuck there. There weren't a lot of students in the halls surrounding him, only about 15, but he knew there were more, he estimated about 50 or 60 people were in the halls and bathrooms in the entire school. Then another ten or so were sneaking around in the locker rooms, which wouldn't have been locked. But, there was most likely more, because Eli's estimation skills were poor.

Eli counted the shots he heard. So far there were 5. He heard two screams, the first father than the other. After a minute or so, he heard talking. He couldn't make out any words, he just heard two voices, one panicked, and the other angered. The gunman was close.

Eli finally was able to move. He peered into the nearest hallway, so that just his head was peaking into the hallway. He could easily just turn around and hide himself if he needed to. When Eli looked into the hall, he saw a guy in a blue shirt, holding his hands in the air, trembling with fear, and a look of pure regret in his eyes. The guy was Vince Traster, a senior on the football team. He had a gun pointed at him. The gunman was also wearing a blue shirt. And his name was Will Blake. Eli knew that Will had been teased, but he never knew it was bad enough to cause something like this. Eli could make out what they were saying.

"Please, you don't have to do this," Vince pleaded, "I'm sorry for everything. If you don't do this, I promise you, I will never do anything to you again." Will glared that him.

"No you won't," he responded, and then shot. The bullet hit Vince in the chest. Eli quickly turned around, and hid himself from what he had just seen. True, he had never particularly liked Vince Traster but seeing him get shot, possibly killed, scared Eli. He knew that seeing that would forever haunt him. Yes, death had interested Eli, but he never thought he would ever see someone actually _die_; he never _wanted_ to see someone die.

When Eli turned, his shoulder hit the lockers with a clash. Without a doubt, Will Blake had heard it. It was only a short matter of time before Will walked towards Eli, and decided his fate. Eli wasn't sure what was worse: witnessing someone getting shot, or knowing that he was next.

**Well, I hope you liked it. Review with any comments, suggestions, or predictions you have. I'd love to hear them all! :) Thank you so much for reading, and for all the lovely reviews I've been getting.**

**~Andy**


	4. Chapter 4

Clare had just walked out of the bathroom when she heard the first shot. She immediately knew what it was. She knew she wouldn't be allowed in any classrooms. And she knew that if she went back into the bathroom that would only cause her more danger. If the gunman went in there, then she would be cornered with nowhere to go, so she stayed in the hallway.

Clare stood in the middle of the hallway. She was in the towards the center of the school. Her initial plan was to go in the opposite direction that she heard the gunshots coming from. She figured by the time they reached the other side of the school, the police would have come and gotten the guy. But as she began to run in the other direction, she heard a shot from the other side of the school. There were two gunmen, and one would find her eventually. There was nowhere for her to run, all she could do was wait and pray.

So far, she had heard at least 20 shots from either direction; she had decided to stop counting at 13. She knew that counting the shots would only make her worry more. After each shot, she jumped, and suppressed more tears that threatened to fall.

Clare tried her best to remember a time in her life that she was ever this scared. But she had no luck. Everything about what was going on right at that moment scared her. She was scared that one of the shots she heard would be aimed at her. She was scared that one of the shooters was angry with her for some reason. She was scared that the shooter had or would get one of her friends. She was scared that the last thing she would remember in her life was being this scared. She was scared that the last time she would ever speak to her mother was in a fight. She was scared that she would never get the change to apologize to Eli, not because she was still in love with him, but because she felt guilty about how she and him had ended. She was scared that she would never get to see her sister's wedding, or hold her niece or nephew that doesn't even exist yet.

Clare never knew what she wanted to come out of her life. She never knew what degree that she wanted to graduate college with. She never knew how many kids she wanted, or if she even wanted any at all. She never knew where she wanted to work. She never thought about what car she would drive. She never cared about what her master bedroom would look like, or how big her dream house. She never knew about how old she wanted to live to be. She didn't think about what her wedding would look like. She didn't know what kind of dress she wanted to wear, or if there would be a DJ or a band. She didn't even care to imagine her prince charming would look like as she walked down the isle. She never cared to think about it.

But now, standing there in the hallway, with the possibility of none of that happening, she knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to go to college and get a degree in Secondary Education and become an English teacher. She wanted to have a husband, and two kids, a boy and a girl. She would drive a silver SUV, with an excellent safety rating, and plenty of trunk space. She would live in the suburbs in a yellow house, like those she always saw in the movies. Her bedroom would be large, with light lavender walls and dark wood furniture. She would retire at age 60, and die at the age of at least 75 happily in her sleep with no regrets. And at her wedding, she would wear a ball gown, which the rest of the wedding budget would be shaped around. She could see herself walking down the isle, looking at her groom. He was wearing his everyday clothing, instead of the traditional tux that was worn. She could see him staring at her, with tears in his eyes. It was the perfect wedding, and she might never see it.

She suddenly heard another shot. Then an ear-piercing scream. Then silence. Then footsteps. Each step was closer than the first. The gunman was coming closer.

**That was chapter 4! Review with predictions and what you thought! I love hearing what you all have to say!**

**~Andy!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know this was a really short chapter, and that I haven't updated in a while. I have been at camp, and I didn't have much time to write. But here is the next chapter. I hope you guys like it. **

Clare felt hot tears run down her face as she heard the footsteps get slowly louder. She turned in the direction that the footsteps were coming from. Out from the corner of the hallway, a boy appeared. He stared down the hallway in front of him, and then turned to look in the hall Clare was in. She had her back pressed against the lockers, but she was still clearly visible. She knew there was no point in trying to hide. She was in a hallway, in a school that was on lock down. There was nowhere for her to go; she was bound to be found at some point. She knew the police wouldn't come for a while. There was one thing she didn't know, though: would she die today?

The person looked down the hall and spotted her. They began walking down the hallway towards her, at a quick pace. There was nothing for Clare to do other than wait for her death sentence. As the person came closer, Clare saw his face, and knew who it was: Peter Weise. She used to be good friends with him when they were younger, but slowly grew apart once they got to grade 8. She was uncertain whether their past friendship would save or kill her.

Peter stopped walking when he was about a yard away from her. He stared her dead in the eye. Clare couldn't breath, because when she looked into Peter's eyes, all she saw was hatred and fury.

**Sorry it was short, but I hope you liked it anyways. Review with what you thought or any predictions. :) I got a TON of amazing reviews on the last chapter, and I really liked them. So, please let me know what you think. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is chapter 6. I really hope you guys like it!**

Will Blake's head shot towards the end of the hallway. He hadn't seen anyone, but he was sure that someone was hiding around the corner and they had seen him shoot Vince. He began walking quietly towards the end of the hall.

Eli was again frozen. He stood pressed against the lockers, paralyzed with fear, and he was shaking uncontrollably. Suddenly, a figure was standing in front of him. It was Will Blake. Eli slid against the lockers, moving to the side, until he was standing in front of the hallway Vince was just shot in. Eli figured if he was in an open space, he could distance himself from Will. And Eli knew from hunting with his dad, that the farther away he was, the worse aim Will would have.

"Don't do this," Eli pleaded, in almost a whisper, when Will lifted his arm, and pointed the gun at him.

"I have to," Will told him, anger saturating his voice.

"No, you don't," Eli told him, inching away from him. "I won't tell anyone what you did, I promise."

"Promises are crap," Will spat. Eli saw the fire that burned in his eyes. He knew that Will was going to shoot. Eli ran backwards, refusing to take his eyes off Will, he had a feeling doing so would only hurt him. He heard three shots in a row. One missed him. Another went through his abdomen, and the third through his right shoulder. He fell backwards, and as he did, he saw everyone he loved run through his mind.

Eli had been in pain before. When he was 10, he tripped over a tree stump and needed 27 stitches on his shin. At age 12, he hyper extended his knee on a trampoline. His appendix burst when he was 13. When he was 14, he snapped his forearm like a twig at an amusement park, when some college kid was running and pushed him down. And most recently, he was in a car accident where he got whiplash, and several broken bones. So, yes, he had been in horrible pain before. But nothing, _nothing_, compared to the pain he was in now. His shoulder hurt more than his abdomen, the bullet must have gone through his bone. The second Eli fell to the ground, his head rolled to the right. All he saw was lockers and the red floor. That's the last thing he remembered seeing, before everything went dark.

**I hope you guys liked it! Let me know what you thought! I've been getting such amazing reviews on this, and all of them have been wonderful! Thank you so much!**

**~Andy**


	7. Chapter 7

**IMPORTANT: A lot of people have asked me if Eli and Clare know each other in this, and the answer to this is **_**yes**_**. This is post Drop the World. **

"Clare Edwards," Peter Weise huffed angrily. "You ruined me." She stared at him, breathlessly. Tears were streaming down her face. She couldn't speak; it was as if her vocal chords were tied together.

"We were best friends, then you just left me," he hissed. Clare knew that wasn't the way their friendship had ended. In eighth grade they were put in different homerooms, and didn't see each other very. They soon made new friends, and didn't talk as much. They got into new things, and had less to talk about. They got busy, and didn't hang out as much. For a long time, she wished she could salvage whatever friendship her and Peter might have left, but every time she tried, she failed. They had become too different. For a long time, it saddened her. Her and Peter shared a lot of good memories in life, but she eventually let him go.

Clare knew pleading for her life would be hopeless. Peter would only grow angrier. She also knew that apologizing would make things worse, because he would feel the only reason for her apologizing would be because he was holding a gun to her.

"I'm pointing a gun at you, and you have nothing to say?" he barked.

"I… I don't know what you want me to say," she stuttered out. Peter took a few deep breaths, and Clare looked helplessly into his eyes, which had a fire burning within them. Clare always remembered his eyes as gentle and kind, but all she saw now was a wild fire that was out to destroy everything in its path, including her.

Peter slowly put his arm to his side, and began moving past Clare. As he walked away, she slid down to the ground against the lockers and broke down in sobs. She curled in a ball, with her knees pressed to her chest. She didn't even notice Peter turn around. She noticed once she heard the shots. There were two of them.

Clare felt her entire body became drenched in pain. One of the shots had grazed the front of her forehead, while the other went in her arm. She couldn't move, and she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to. She heard Peter's footsteps nearing her once again. She looked up with her eyes, to see him crouching in front of her.

"I was going let you free, but I changed my mind. You wanna know why?" he asked her, evilly. "Because you treated me like dirt. If you and I had stayed friends, then Will wouldn't be my only friend. We could have been those two who were best friends in childhood, but then in High School, fell in love, and stayed together forever. But no, you had to go on a pick everyone else besides me. I was in love with you, you know? Do you know how painful it was to watch you with your boyfriends, KC and Eli? Do you know how awful that was? What did they have that I didn't have? Was I not athletic enough? Was I not rich enough? Was I not good looking enough? Was I too weird for you?" Clare wanted to scream at him. Tell him that he was being irrational, but she couldn't. She was paralyzed with fear, there was blood dripping in the eyelashes of her eyes and her vocal chords were tied together.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Because you'll hurt just as badly as I did. Except your pain will only be temporary," he whispered bitterly to Clare. He stood up, and distanced himself from her, by a few feet. Then there were two more shots, and as the third shot filled the halls, Clare thought about her wedding day once again. Then, everything went black.

**Okay, so here is chapter 7. I hope you guys like it! At this point in the story, both Eli and Clare were shot, so I really want to know what predictions you guys have for this story. **

**~Andy**

**p.s. I really appreciate all the wonderful reviews I've been getting on this story. Thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing. **


	8. Chapter 8

Cece had been up all night covering someone's shift at the radio station, so she got home at one in the morning, and slept until 10. She would have slept later if the phone hadn't woken her up. She picked up the phone on her bedside table slowly.

"Hello?" she answered tiredly.

"Hi, I'm looking for Cynthia Goldsworthy?" a voice said from the other line.

"This is she," she said, waking up fairly quickly.

"I understand you have a son that attends Degrassi Community School? Elijah, correct?" the man asked. Cece shot up from her bed. What had happened to her son?

"He's my son, yes," she said, trying to keep calm.

"Ma'am, my name is Grant Farris," he began, calmly, "I'm the Police Chief at the TPD."

"What happened to my son? Was he arrested?" she asked. She didn't mean for it to come out, it just did.

"No," the officer said, then paused to find the best way to tell Cece the words that she never wanted to hear, "There was a shooting at his school. He was hurt." Cece tried to hold back a scream.

"Is he okay?" she choked out, suppressing a sob.

"We're not sure, all I know is that we have him identified as a victim. I don't know anymore. I'll let you know if I have anymore information," the man said, unsympathetically, as if he didn't care that someone was shot. If it were his own son, he would not be acting like this.

"Where is he?" she said, holding back a sob, and tears blurring her vision.

"As far as I know, he's still at the school, with paramedics helping him," he told her.

"Thank you," she said, not sure if she meant it, and her voice cracking. She hung up the phone, and erupted in tears.

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay in updates. I've been really busy. I hope you guys liked it :)**

**~Andy!**


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